An awe-inspiring experience

 When it started my watch said half past seven. When it ended nine o’clock was the time. One hour and a half — yet it was as if only a fragment of time had gone by. So completely bewitched I was by what went on before me – songs that touched your heart like a warm hand, songs now sad, now exultant, now plaintive, now triumphant – they got you spellbound and transported into the never-never land of pure joy.

Then suddenly it was over. More, more, your heart cried out. From fantasy to reality was a harsh awakening. But then you realized that such is life. There are joyous moments like the first kiss of a loved one. Like the fleeting moment of an awakening day. Like the first cry of your firstborn. These are joyous moments you treasure in your heart, moments which, recalled later in times of adversity, bring a spark of hope in the heart.

These were the joyous moments I felt while watching the UV Chorale perform during its thanksgiving concert last Tuesday evening at the CAP auditorium.

Actually, I know little of music. In the grades we were taught to read notes and sing school songs in these notes. But we never got to the point of deciphering how a song was sung given only its notations. We were however taught how to appreciate music. Every Friday afternoon, our principal (Mr. Pedro Avila, bless his soul!) at San Nicolas elementary school here in this city would gather us older kids together for a singing session. Scouts songs, classical songs, native songs we sang.

Appreciation of music seems to be innate in people, at least those with normal sense of hearing. Whether one is trained in music or not his capacity to enjoy music seems to be a built-in mechanism. This is also true of one’s ability to distinguish good music from bad ones, as well as his capacity to sing a fairly acceptable tune. Given proper training, one’s voice can be “cultured”, as they say it, such that off-key tunes are avoided and pleasant ones articulated.

This explains why a choir presentation such as that of the UV Chorale always stirs its listeners, whether lay or professional, into ecstatic fits of appreciation. And when such presentation is acclaimed “internationally very good,” in the words of the Busan (Korea) judges, appreciation turns into an awe-inspiring experience. Standing ovation is the physical expression of this experience coupled with a sense of gratitude to the people who brought about this performing art phenomenon. This was exactly what happened in the Chorale’s September  performance as well as in that of last Tuesday evening. For it is not a joke to fashion various individuals with various whims and caprices, various temperament and sensitivities, into one symphony of voices for the listening pleasure of local and international audience. Patience of course is needed and with patience, love. And these the UV singers got in generous amounts from choir manager Mrs. Nena Gullas and her assistant Dr. Fe Cuenca as well as from choir master Anna Piquero. With UV executive vice president Dodong Gullas backing them up, logistic-wise, there was no way the Chorale could fail.

And yet failure haunted the group right into the last minutes in the Busan contest. Neophytes all in inter-country competitions, the Chorale could not help but feel apprehensive of getting edged out by the more experienced singers from Europe, Russia and Asia numbering about  teams. Just do your best and sing not only for world audience but also for your own people back home, came Dodong Gullas’ words of encouragement. And they did as advised. What happened after that was something bordering on the miraculous, something that has made every Cebuano proud.

Music – why is the UV so committed in creating masters of this performing art? The question seems superfluous because art appreciation and promotion is an inherent thrust of every educational institution. If education is bringing out the best and beautiful in individuals, then cultivation of artistic impulses has therefore an important role in the educative process.

He who has no music in himself is fit for treason, stratagem and spoil, warns the Bard of Avon.

This considered, the Chorale’s mission therefore is not only to entertain but also to transform the hearts and minds of those who open themselves to savor its renditions.

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